


The Clever Dragon

by MarsDragon



Category: Akumajou Dracula | Castlevania Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-02
Updated: 2006-09-02
Packaged: 2017-11-23 08:30:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/620122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarsDragon/pseuds/MarsDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once, long long ago, there lived a lion and a dragon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Clever Dragon

Once, long long ago, there lived a lion and a dragon. They lived in perfect harmony, walking among tall forests and drinking from deep clear ponds. The dragon was clever, the smartest creature in all the world. The lion was strong, the greatest fighter in all the world. Together they protected their lands against intrusions for many, many years.

One day, as they were once again fighting against those who would take their lands, one enemy got close enough to the dragon to pierce his heart. The dragon wavered and fell, unable to stand with the shock of losing his heart. The lion ran to him and licked the wound, but it would not heal, not matter how long and patiently the lion lapped. The lion helped his friend to rest and prayed him to recover, and soon the flesh slowly began to close on its own, and the lion rejoiced to see his friend standing again. But while the outside had healed, a worm had crawled into where the dragon's heart was and began to rot away the dragon from the inside. The dragon thus gained a new heart, one black and filthy. The new heart destroyed the dragon's goodness and sanity, and he started down dark paths. The dragon's evil grew within his breast, and he looked to immortality, to show how he could live forever even without his heart and to destroy those who had taken it from him. The lion saw none of this, and though he worried how the dragon seemed to have changed, he blamed the loss of the dragon's heart and simply hoped the dragon would get better.

One day, enemies came to take over the land, as they often did, and the lion went off to fight them, as he often did. He left the dragon behind, as the dragon had not been able to fight since his heart had died, now over a year ago. The dragon was not as weak as he looked, however, and he followed the lion silently to the battleground. There the lion fought bravely and well, and succeeded in driving off the intruders. But just as he stood there in triumph the dragon snuck up behind him and knocked him over. The lion lay helpless under the dragon as the dragon ripped out the lion's heart and devoured it, cracking open the ripcage, crack-crack! Hot blood ran freely down his chin as he swallowed his friend's heart whole. The pure nobility in the lion's heart flowed through the dragon and gave the dragon the immortality he desired, and the worm, now grown to a snake, slid out of the dragon's heart and wrapped itself around his neck, a black chain of the devil. The dragon threw his head back and laughed, all goodness and sanity he once had having been burned away. But from the tear in the lion's chest a great eagle, broad of wingspan and with vicious talons, rose and flung itself against the dragon in vengeance. The dragon tried to fight, but the eagle was invincible and he was forced to run away, far, far from his homeland until he lost the eagle in the mountains surrounding a great waste.

At first the dragon was happy to be there. He was undisputed ruler of all he saw, from the plants and the small animals that ran about his feet to the human settlements in the distance and the very land itself. There were other dragons there, but they were easy prey as the dragon grew in strength. At first they fought him well, an outsider in their lands, but he defeated them all and ate their hearts as well, crack-crack-gulp! Soon there were no more dragons left to fight him and the clever dragon stood alone. But the snake talked to him, and soon he went to the snake as his only friend.

While the snake was kind, if aloof, the dragon eventually began to wonder if he had been wrong. He missed the comforting warmth of the lion next to him as he slept, and while he was indeed immortal, each day was much like the other and the endless progression of days lost their meaning. The ground burned his feet and the dust clogged his throat, and often he had to stop and cough, wishing for cool water. After many years of wandering in the great waste the dragon returned to a semblance of sanity and realized what a mistake he had made. All alone in the great desert he vowed to return to his proper homeland and make amends.

The way was long, and harder than the dragon remembered it. The mountains were tall and the rivers wide, and the dragon found out he was not much made for swimming. But the thought of the sweet waters of the ponds and the cool shade of the forests of his home spurred him on until at last he found grass, and from grass, trees, and from trees, forest, and then he was home. He knelt in front of a pool to drink and wash away the dust from his throat. But as soon as he drank, he was forced to spit out the water; it had become poison from his treason. He went to shade to rest his feet and cool his burned body, but even as he fell beneath a tree he was forced to get up again; the grass stung him bitterly for his treason. He wandered until he found the lion's dead body and looked around for the fearsome eagle, but it was not there, so he was able to approach the body safely. At first he tried to wake the lion, to see if he could live without his heart as the dragon did, but the lion did not move. Then the dragon, deep in his regret for his actions, attempted to vomit up the lion's heart he had devoured and give up his immortality for making things right. But the heart had been absorbed into the dragon's body, and the dragon merely coughed and gasped in vain. The dragon then ripped open his chest to replace the lion's heart with his own. But the heart was black and cankerous and could not be used for the lion. So the dragon threw himself down and despaired.

It was then the eagle, who had been resting after it had lost the dragon in the mountains, awoke and saw the dragon again by the lion's body, and flung itself down upon the dragon, screaming and clawing. Once again the dragon was driven off by the terrible eagle, and once again he found himself wandering in the waste beyond the mountains. This time his kingdom was no comfort, and this time the snake's companionship could not help him. He now saw clearly the price for immortality was eternity, and raged and despaired in equal measure. The villagers at the ends of the desert saw the dragon rage, and said to themselves "Something much be done about that." They saw livestock trampled and said "Something must be done about that." They saw a few foolish dreamers and brave men get too close the dragon and be burned and said "The dragon must be killed." But there were none quite willing to go.

The dragon's rage eventually wore itself out, as rage tends to do, and he fell to the ground, unable to move. The snake twirled and twined its way around his neck, but not even it could bring the dragon back from his despair. The dragon simply lay there, burning and choking in the wasteland.

No one knows how long the dragon lay there, but after a good time a procession marched by. A princess and her father were going on a pilgrimage, and this required crossing the desert. It was a fantastic thing to see, with many strong horses and pageantry, and many strong knights for protection. The princess and her father had the best wagon, as fitted them, one decorated with gold, and cushions of silk. It was indeed a fine thing to see, shining in the desert. The king was a strong man and rich, and the princess was the most beautiful woman in the world, and as wise and good as she was beautiful. It was by merest hapchance that their path led them right to where the dragon lay. At first, when the routine saw the dragon's body a great shout went up, for they thought he was dead and could make no more trouble. But as they drew closer they saw his sides move with breath and occasional twitches in the wings. And then they said to each other "This is a wonderful chance, for now we may catch and kill him easily, without worrying about being burned." And so they brought spears and lances to pierce the dragon's sides so that he would die.

But the princess saw the dragon lying there and ran out to see him, heedless of the danger. When she was close she could see the pain and despair of the dragon easily, and her heart was filled with pity for him. She took the dragon's head into her lap and wept for him, and the dragon drank her tears. The tears washed down his throat, wiping away the choking dust and upon reaching his heart cleansed it of it's filth and blackness. The dragon slowly picked itself up, seeing the world properly for the first time in a long time.

The snake was confused at the change in his old friend, and untwined from around his neck, demanding to know what was going on. The dragon nosed at it, and was tempted to send it away, for it was a dark being of his past. But he remembered with guilt how it had stayed by him for all those years, and with the princess tried to explain. The snake considered, in his cool way, but eventually acquiesced to what the dragon wanted. He didn't think good wold come of it, but what was he to say? He wrapped himself once more around the dragon's neck and was silent, and the dragon and the princess went to see her father.

The king was not pleased with his daughter running off to take care of a dragon, and he was even less pleased to find out they had fallen in love with each other, which of course they had. He said that that was a dragon, and the dragons did not make good husbands for princesses or son-in-laws for kings. They also tended to not fit in castles very easily, and to devour unreasonable amounts of livestock. And finally, they were going on a pilgrimage, not to a wedding. The princess pleaded with him, and the dragon quickly pointed out that he didn't really eat that much, that he'd fit fairly well into a castle if they'd move some things around, he was strong and nearly unkillable, and he _would_ make a good husband and son-in-law.

And so in the end the king relented. He was not in the habit of holding things back from his daughter, and they both raised some good points. And it was getting high time for the princess to marry, and since he had found no suitable suitors for her yet, the dragon would do. He promised them they would be able to get married as soon as they finished with the pilgrimage. At this news the couple became joyful, and the rest of the desert passed with great haste.

Finally the pilgrimage was over with, and the wedding could commence. It was a wonderful affair, with everyone dressed in their very best and the castle was so done up even the mice sparkled. Everyone came, for the princess was much beloved, and all were happy to see her wed, even to a dragon. The princess wore a beautiful dress that shone like the sun, and the dragon's scales has been polished until they sparkled like the stars. It was, all in all, a great success, and the feast afterward left everyone happy and full.

After it was all over the princess and the dragon lay together in the shade, prepared to fully enjoy the rest of their happy lives. Only the snake aroused from his slumber long enough to look at the sky and see the eagle circling overhead.


End file.
